"It was an even game, a difficult game to play," he told Sky Sports. "The pitch wasn't in the best condition and that didn't help, but it was the same for both teams.

"In possession, we made a lot of mistakes that allowed them lots of transitions. We created two massive chances but if you analyse the game it was a fair result. It wasn't our best version tonight -the pitch didn't help us but it was the same for both teams. We need to improve."

When asked about the virus, he added: "Players were affected last week but it's not an excuse - our performance wasn't the best - we need to be focused now."